


Shapeless and Encompassing

by SXH1417



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Crying, Depression, Homesickness, Hurt/Comfort, Incest, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Character Death, Multi, Neglecting one's self, Nightmares, One determined boi, Pining, Shipwreck, Slight Attempted Suicide, Slow Burn, Smart Papy, Stranded on a Sandbank, Trapped, Willingly Walking into Danger, more to be added - Freeform, shark attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-06-12 14:23:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15341721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SXH1417/pseuds/SXH1417
Summary: Papyrus wasn't necessarily afraid of the ocean. He was cautious and wary of it. However, with the famine hit, he had to turn to fishing to feed his brother and himself.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SesuRescue (Kigachan)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kigachan/gifts).



> So, this was originally supposed to be a large one-shot. That didn't happen. I loved the ideas that I had for this pairing and needed to write more and more. I don't know how many chapters there will be yet, I am still trying to break this up evenly and to the point that it makes sense.
> 
> Anyway, this is a gift for the lovely SesuRescue! I accidentally missed her birthday by a lot - BUT NONETHELESS! Here it is! I hope you like it, sweetie!

Papyrus wasn’t necessarily afraid of the ocean. He was cautious and wary of it. He’d had too many friends fall in and disappear. He didn’t want his brother to end up like that. He was anxious about it, afraid of it happening, even though he knew his brother only went out onto the docks to look out for storms and maybe fish a little to relax. Unlike half the population of their town, Sans worked in the lighthouse. Papyrus, on the other hand, worked in the farm fields to bring food home at night.

When a particularly nasty famine came through, everyone was forced to turn to hunt in the nearby forest or fishing. Papyrus was never taken to the woods to hunt. He hated the very idea of hurting an animal and therefore nearly had an anxiety attack every single time he held a gun. Sans didn’t like that Papyrus had to go fishing either, but he liked it more than the thought of Papyrus hunting.

The monsters in their small town – it might as well be called a village; the population was less than 300 – were all too kind. The elderly monsters lent their fishing equipment to the younger population, as well as their boats. Papyrus, wanting to take the safer route, went with several other experienced fishermen.

He’d become pretty good at using the net. He caught the fish while some other stored them. It was a good system for him. He didn’t have to see how they stored them. He didn’t want to. He’d gotten to know some of the other monsters he was with. They were wise and were great for conversation. They weren’t fans of puzzles like he was, but they humored him.

One day, while at sea, ever fisherman was wary. The waters under the boat had turned dark. A sense of foreboding came upon them. Half of them wanted to stay and fish, desperate to get food to their families. The others didn’t want to risk it, wanting to head back to shore. Papyrus was one of those people, but concern for their loved ones overrode the concern for their own safety.

Everyone regretted this when a storm began to really brew. The waves grew rough and difficult to handle. They wouldn’t have been able to go back now. The waves would have thrown them into the jagged rocks on their beach. Papyrus’s anxiety skyrocketed. Nothing was going right. This wasn’t going to end well. A monster tried to console him, telling him that it was a mild storm. The boat wouldn’t sink and they could stay the night out on the sea.

Papyrus trusted him.

He really shouldn’t have.

Late into the night, something hit the side of the boat, jarring Papyrus out of his hammock. He scrambled to get up off the floor as others hurried to get out of their beds and check the damage. Papyrus went outside and saw the water moving strangely. Something big was under the water. That something big ran into the side of their boat again. Papyrus was knocked off his feet. He grabbed onto the railing for support. Other monsters got the harpoons ready, yelling something about a shark. He’d heard that sometimes sharks would purposefully run into boats. But, the only shark that would do it multiple times was a Great White.

Papyrus slipped a few times while trying to get back to his feet. Rain pelted down on his head and fell into his eye sockets. He went and got everything anyone asked for. On one errand, he heard a commotion as the boat was nearly knocked on its side. He crawled back up the steps, to see what happened. Half the crew had fallen off the side. He went to get the life preservers and threw them over the edge, trying to save as many people as he could.

But, as one person touched a life preserver, they were pulled under. One by one more and more people was dragged under, the red clouds and dust that floated to the surface left nothing to the imagination. They were dying. His friends were dying. Papyrus froze. He… he didn’t know what to do. Anything he tried did nothing at all. He felt tears prickle his eyes, the boat shaking and jerking more. He wanted to curl up into a ball and forget all of this.

The boat toppled over and he was knocked out into the water. He felt the danger all around him and he began to panic. He could see a huge dorsal fin coming after him. Papyrus tried to scramble away, but skeletons weren’t exactly the best swimmers. He was dragged just as the shark got close. He was surrounded by black.

He couldn’t swim up. Stars, which way was up? He couldn’t see anything. He felt all the water moving around him. Something had him by his middle, by his spine! Scorching pain shot through his body. He struggled and lashed out against his attacker. He was being dragged deeper and deeper into the ocean. After minutes of struggling in vain, his head began to hurt and his body grew more and more sluggish. He couldn’t breathe. He was drowning.

Everything fell away…

 

When he woke up, it was with a gasp. He breathed deeply as if trying to catch his breath. He looked around and found himself in the middle of nowhere. He was on a small island… Well, it was just a bunch of rocks jutting out of the water attached to a sandbank, really. He looked around him. A lot of the wreckage was around him, including floating bits of the boat. Dead fish were floating around his rock, producing a horrible smell.

He looked at himself for injuries. He was covered in a black residue from _something_ in the water. He didn’t know what. He checked his spine and found something deeply unsettling. He was burned. His bones had been burned by something all around his spine. He got a piece of metal to use as a mirror to look at the back of his spine. It looked like… he didn’t know what it looked like. But, what he needed to do was treat the injury.

He looked around for something, anything to use. He couldn’t use his own soaked clothes to wrap it… He looked around for some sort of clot, but finding none, he peeled off his shirt and set it against the rock. The rains had subsided, so the sun could dry his clothes. Once he’d set his clothes out, he sat down once more, left alone to his thoughts.

All his friends were gone. He was alive only by a stroke of luck… (He hesitated to call it that, considering the marks on his spine.) He was stars knew where out at sea. He had no water or food to speak of. It was midday and getting hot. He needed to look for something to purify water. That was the first thing he needed to do, otherwise, he would die of dehydration.

Finding something to do, he set to work. He focused on finding as many pieces of material to drag onto the sandbank. There were several pieces of boat everywhere. He even retrieved what was left of his net. He was very happy that he knew how to fix it, too. He looked for anything else he could find. Wood, plastic, metal, anything.

He looked at all the materials he gathered and admittedly… it wasn’t much. Most of the boat likely. He found some of the wood that didn’t belong to his boat at all. It was likely from ships wrecked in the past. He’d found his net and some fishing line. He could make it work.

It was getting later into the day, and his anxiety was rising again. Even though he knew that he was relatively safe on the sandbank. The darkness scared him. It was why his brother always read him a bedtime story before he went to sleep. Now, he felt like he had eyes watching him from everywhere he turned.

Papyrus set back to work. He was thirsty and his soul was beginning to nag him for food. He got a water purifier built up. It was crude and jagged, but it should work. All he needed to do was light the fire underneath. He didn’t have anything to light the spark. He hummed in thought. His magic reserved were okay. He’d been learning some fire magic from Lady Toriel, but he just wasn’t gifted with it. Maybe he could at least make a spark to light it.

He sat down close to the dried wood. He called his magic to his hands, forcing it to stay as simple energy. He moved his hand close to the wood and the magic to his fingertips. He concentrated on making a small spark, just a small one with a snap of his fingers. When he finally snapped, all he got a spark. Excited, he tried it again. He snapped his fingers a few more times, trying to make the spark grow, but it didn’t. Growing frustrated, he angrily snapped and it blew up in his face, leaving soot on his face.

“Gah… GRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!” Papyrus screamed in frustration. He stomped his foot on the ground. He paced around for a while, angry and irritated with himself. If only he’d tried harder to learn more fire magic! Stars, if only he had stopped the others from staying out in the storm. If only he’d done _more_ to stop all of this from happening.

He missed Sans. His missed his brother so much. He must be so worried about him. The entire village must be. He just wanted to go home. He just wanted to be with his brother. He wanted to be home, dragging Sans from the docks because he was too drunk to walk home himself. He wanted his brother to read to him, sing the silly songs in his favorite book. He wanted to go home and sleep in his bed, not this sand, in the cold. Papyrus found himself curling up next to his failed purifier. He just wanted this all to be a dream…

His tears made the sand stick to his skull as he cried himself to sleep.

Nightmares plagued him of the night before. Sharks coming after him and ripping him to little shreds. After a bit, he began tom feel something warm and his dreams took a turn. He was saved. His brother had found him and was hugging him in a warm embrace. He let Papyrus curl up in front of the hearth and treated his wounds while cooking some food for once. Papyrus curled further into the warmth and slept better.

When dawn hit, he was forced to open his eyes. Groggily, he sat up. The sand underneath him told him that all those happy things were nothing but a dream. He wanted to curl back up in the sand and just lay there when the smell of smoke drifted by. He whipped his skull around to find the source and found it easily.

It was under the purifier he’d made. He’d looked into his makeshift bowl and found clean water. He didn’t know how the fire started but he wasn’t going to let this chance to go to waste. As quickly as he could, he switched out the water, drank the clean one and went about tending the small fire he had. It was too small to transfer some to a small fire for a grill. He’d have to catch some fish and lean it against the purifier if he wanted to eat.

The problem he now faced was the holes in his net. He’d have to fix it somehow. Perhaps the fishing line would work? If it didn’t, did he really want to risk losing it? He’d mend what he can and place it between the rocks at the end of the sandbank. Once he fixed the net to some of the rocks, he noticed his dried clothes. He tore a bit off his old shirt, enough to wrap around his wound. It wasn’t good, but it would do for now. He didn’t know how long he was going to be here, so he set about making a small shelter. Afterward, he would need to take stock of his supplies and see what else he could do.

The second day was spent staying hydrated and making his shelter. The purifier wasn’t fast at all, but it was better than nothing. He didn’t need to get dehydrated and having his marrow clot. The sun beat down on him as he worked. After making a small sundial, he checked every could of hours to see if he had caught any fish. Unfortunately, any and all the fish he caught slipped through the holes in his net as he went to retrieve it.

Papyrus went to bed Hungry, but he’d made a lot of progress that day. He was wearing his clothes now, he didn’t let the fire die, he set up the net, made a shelter, drank water, and made a sundial. He could do this. He will survive.

He went to sleep that night. He still had nightmares, but they helped him wake up occasionally to stroke the fire.

The next day, he woke up, a bit less rested than before. This time, he had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. There were two fish, cooked and sitting next to his fire. He looked around everywhere before he hesitantly approached them. Surely, he was hallucinating. There was no way they were real. They were sitting on a small piece of seaweed, pristine and perfect. He picked one up. It was still warm, as though it had been cooked for a little while now. He looked around once more before he brought the fish up to his nasal aperture. It smelled real. It felt real. He took a bite and sighed. It tasted real.

Tears sprang to his sockets. He wiped them away stubbornly as he continued to eat. He thanked whoever, whatever had been so kind as to give him food. His soul sang as he finished off the two fish and drank some water. He set about changing out the water and took stock of how much wood he had. There was a bit more now. Some more wood had washed up. He brought the wood further up the sandbank. He checked his net and was once again surprised. The net was fixed. All the holes were gone. In the place of the missing string looked to be… glass? What on earth? As much as he didn’t want to question it, he was beginning to suspect he truly was being watched, that he wasn’t alone here.

“WHOEVER YOU ARE,” he called. “YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE AFRAID OF ME! I SEE THAT YOU ARE HELPING ME! PLEASE COME OUT SO THAT I MY THANK YOU PROPERLY!”

His words seemed to echo slightly and then die against the waves. He sighed, giving up his attempts for the day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually lost track of time. My friend is actually getting off work soon, so I am going to go ahead and post this chapter since you liked this story so much, Sesu. Don't know when I will be able to post chapter 3 yet. Wifi is still out at the house and I got work tomorrow and going with a friend to her tattoo appointment the next day.
> 
> Anyway, here is chapter two! I hope you guys like it!
> 
> Warning(s) for this chapter: Depression, Angst(always seems to work its way in there), Hurt/comfort, Alight attempted suicide, Neglecting one's self

Papyrus hopped off the rocks and began to take off his clothes. He needed to wash off the black material that had clung to him. He waded out to about waist deep water. He felt awfully exposed, but he couldn’t care less. The waters were clear enough for him to see any oncoming threat. He quickly set about scrubbing and scraping the black off his bones. It came off with relative ease. A quick rinse had his bones clean. Underneath he could see that the sun was starting to bleach his bones a bit.

Once clean, he couldn’t think of what else to do to pass the time. He already checked the net, he shouldn’t check it for another thirty minutes at the very least. He could work on his shelter... But, he could also start looking into making a raft. He was starting to get bits of rope floating in. In a few days, if he was lucky, he should have enough to build a small raft. Tonight, he should probably look at the stars. His brother always said that if he ever got lost, he needed to look for Polaris, the brightest star in the sky.

He needed to locate it tonight. For now, though, Papyrus looked at the shimmering water and felt a soft fondness settle in his bones. The water was nice and cool to the touch, with a hint of warmth from the sun’s rays. Papyrus swished around the water a bit, watching is glitter as he splashed it around. He slowly wadded through the water, just walking, then spinning, then dancing. He jumped and splashed and giggled and laughed. For the first time since he came out here, he was having fun.

He played with a little bit of magic, moving bones here and there, watching them splash the water. When he got tired he left himself to drift a little. He began to appreciate the beauty of where he was. A splash had him upright again, looking around on high alert. Looking into the water, a cloudy black mass was speeding toward him. Seeing the threat, Papyrus tried to swim back to the sandbank. He barely made it. The black mass was at his heels.

Once safely on land, he stared at his pursuer for the longest time, wondering what on earth it could be. He could see the source of the blackness moving, swimming around in the shallow waters. He could see heat and bubbled rise from it. Papyrus eyes it curiously. Then, out of the grey blackness, he saw two blue eyes staring at him. It sent a small shiver down his spine, but perhaps nor from fear. This thing didn’t look threatening, however, he needed to be cautious. Its actions toward him told a different story after all. Those eyes stared at him while he slowly stepped back toward his home.

He decided against checking his net for the day. He scooped up his clothes and ran back to his shelter. He didn’t go near the water for the rest of the day. That night, while looking for Polaris, he could only think about how those eyes that stared at him had glittered like the stars above.

When he fell asleep, he had another dream… Really, it was a memory. He and Sans were stargazing for the first time. He’s gotten a hold of a telescope. He’d save up for several months to buy it. He set it up while Papyrus watched curiously. He’d let papyrus use it first. They looked at constellations up close and were mystified when they got to see the craters on the moon. Papyrus woke up with tears in his eyes again. He missed those moments with Sans. He missed his brother so much… He needed to get back soon. Otherwise, he was afraid Sans would Fall Down.

His determination reignited, he got up and was surprised to find two more fish next to his fire. He didn’t remember catching them. He went to check his net. It was still in its place, with several fish inside. He pulled it out of the water and gathered the fish inside. He went back to the two fish laid out on a bit of seaweed.

He picked them up, checking if they were real again. Underneath them, he was shocked to find two seashells. He picked them up and looked them over. The inside was pearly and beautiful to look at. He held them close to his chest and took them to his shelter. He would bring them back to Sans and show him.

He ate the fish soon after and, using some metal, he set two more to cook. As they cooked, he took stock once more of what he had. Not much driftwood showed up today. He had to be more careful of the amount he used for the fire.

As the days went on, they got hotter and hotter. Some days, he forgoes his clothes completely. He started building the raft with what he had. If he could save up enough magic, he would be able to make bones for the raft to make up for what it lacked. The problem with that would be the amount of energy it took. He needed to rest more, eat more, and conserve his energy in general for this to work.

Every day he would wake up and find seashells with a bit of food made for him. As more time passed, he found more and more of them had been left. He had so many that he could decorate the outside of his shelter with the glittering shells. He wished he could thank whoever was leaving him those beautiful things.

Finally, when he looked out to the ocean one day, he decided to leave. It was time to go. Took apart his shelter and used the materials for the raft. He drank all the water he had left and packed a bit of food with him. He left the fire running, deciding to use the light to navigate a little. He would travel at dark. He gathered his net and the shells. He folded the shells in his discarded shirt and then the shirt within the net. He chased off a few seagulls after his food. Once he thought he was ready, he waited for the sun to sink.

As soon as the sun was low enough to see the stars, he pushed his raft out. It floated very well. It was sturdy-ish and didn’t topple. He used bones to fill any space that was lacking and then summoned two longer bones to use as ores. He set off. His mind full of hope to see his brother again.

His hope didn’t last long.

He’d be blind to not see the familiar dark mass following him. It rounded around the sandbank. He watched as it sped right for him. He tried to move the raft out of its bath. He barely did. He tried rowing faster, wanting to be anywhere but there. The black mass rounded back with speed he’d never seen before. All he could do was grab his wrapped-up net and jump out of the way as the black mass upturned his raft and destroyed it. Papyrus began swimming back to the closest part of the sandbank he could, which was the rocks he’s originally found himself on.

He made it to the rocks but felt something push into him, pinning him to the rocks. He looked down and that blackness was surrounding him. It was clear, profound even in the darkness. He coated his bones in that warm, black, ashy substance. He whimpered as he heard a hiss, snarling. Papyrus began to cry, knowing this was probably the end. But, it didn’t do more than pin him to the rocks. It didn’t hurt him. It held him there. He peeked out to look at the thing that had pinned him.

The water was steaming and simmering above it. Those eyes held his fiercely with the unspoken command of “stay”. All he could think to do was nod and follow the command. The thing’s traveled up and down his body. He shivered, his boned rattling under the gaze. He whimpered when he felt something clasp around his wound. Frightened and everything telling him to run, to get away.

“Please… please let me go… please…” he sobbed. “I just want to see my brother again… please… let me go…”

Whatever it was, it seemed to be unable to understand him. He didn’t know what he expected. Of course, it wouldn’t be able to. The thing clasped onto his spine tightened and he felt heat seep into the bones. A soft green glow penetrated the darkness of the water. After a few minutes, the dark mess let him go, moving away and disappearing into the depths. Papyrus crawled out of the water and curled up on the sand.

He went to lay next to his dying fire, unable to tend it since the rest of the wood was now lost. He stared at the blue flames flicker, trying not to think of that thing in the water. His body was too tired but his mind was running miles. He couldn’t sleep at all. He watched the fire slowly die to nothing but embers. His thoughts plagued about how truly trapped he was here.

It was morning when he began to feel the edges of exhaustion. He tried to stay awake, knowing that staying in the sun was not good for him. He managed for about five minutes when his eyes truly began to droop. It crept up on him. He was asleep in no time at all.

When he awoke, it was dark again. He found fish and more shells. There was more wood for him and the fire was barely hanging on. He ignored it all. He got the feeling that thing had given him these things. No. He had no doubt about it now. He could see it lurking out further in the water. He turned over and ignore it all, not bothering to seek shelter. He shivered a little from the cold but forced himself back to sleep. He wanted it all to be just one horrible nightmare. Just let him wake up back at home with his brother, please…

A couple of days went on like this. Every single night he found more and more fish and shells. He refused them despite his soul crying out for the energy. What was the point of eating? He was never going to see his brother again. He was never going to hold him tight during the cold nights or talk about puzzles or throw puns back and forth. He missed carrying him home at the end of the day... He missed his brother so much…

It was daytime now. The sun looked pretty, as always. Papyrus always enjoyed looking at it more than the sunset. The soft, bright colors were so pleasing to me. He heard some splashing in the water. Ignoring it, he stayed laying there in the sand. He wanted to sleep again. He heard more slashing and when it didn’t stop he curled in further on himself, tired.

Apparently, that thing didn’t like it. Next thing Papyrus knew he was being hit by a substantial amount of water. Papyrus yelped, not expecting the warm water hitting his bones, he growled stood up. Angery and frustration filled him, taking over. He picked up the fish and the shells and began throwing them at the thing in the water.

“WHAT? WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT?! I AM HERE. I AM STUCK HERE BECAUSE OF YOU! I AM NOT LEAVING THANK TO THAT LITTLE STUNT YOU PULLED! I AM NOT GOING HOME. I AM NOT GOING TO SEE MY BROTHER! AND IT’S ALL! BECAUSE! OF _YOU!_ ” Papyrus ran out of things to throw. He began kicking the sand around him and waving his arms in the air with screams of absolute frustration.

“I’M NOT GOING TO SEE HIM AGAIN. I AM NOT GOING TO SEE ANY OF MY FRIENDS AGAIN. I WON’T GET TO SEE MY BROTHER’S LAZY SMILE OR HIS MORE GENUINE ONES WHEN HE… WHEN HE SEES ME COMING TO PICK HIM UP… I WON’T GET TO HAVE THAT… ALL BECAUSE OF YOU…” Papyrus’s voice broke a bit. Very few tears spilled from his sockets due to his dehydration. Papyrus collapsed to his knees, watching those blue eyes watch him.

“What more do you want from me?” Papyrus muttered. He waited for some sort of reply. Something, anything. He got nothing. Nothing at all.

Making an impulsive decision, he stood up and walked toward it. It was further than he originally thought. It was out in the deep water, the kind reached Papyrus’s neck, and he was a tall monster. He waded out, trying to swim as best he could. He used his magic and concentrated on making a type of webbing between his fingers. It sparked and flickered. It was the last of his steadily draining magic. He swam out to where the eyes were. His feet barely touched the sand at the bottom. The two stared at each other for a while. Papyrus’s tears steadily flowing, dripping down to the water.

He could feel the water moving toward him in waves, still simmering and warm. He could handle hotter temperatures than other creatures because of his bones. It was almost… comforting to feel that warmth, especially when the water grazed his soul.

Papyrus stared down at the creature, determination in his tired eyes. “Do with me what you will… I don’t care anymore… I just wanted to see my brother. That’s all I ever wanted.”

He could have sworn those eyes softened for a second. He didn’t flinch when the thing grabbed his hand. It felt like another hand, but Papyrus was sure he was delirious from the lack of magic. It tugged him down, pulling him deeper into the water. He didn’t fight. He’d prefer to drown than be trapped.

He was tugged completely under the water, the ashen black cloud coiled around him as those eyes stared into him. Then, like lighting, he felt the creature wrap around him and swim away. While he didn’t necessarily need to breathe, oxygen was one of the things that fueled his soul. If he stayed down for too long, he would die. At this point, with the swirling mass of warm water wrapping around him, he didn’t mind too much.

To his surprise, he was brought to the surface to breathe multiple times. He was taken through the water with blinding speed. He couldn’t see anything through the water going in and out of his eye sockets. It pounded uncomfortably at the back of his skull as he was taken somewhere. It was obvious they weren’t going deeper.

It was dark by the time they reached their destination. He still couldn’t see much, but he could feel the other slow down. He yelped when his leg hit a rock. He felt the creature flinch as well and seemed to avoid the rocks a bit more carefully. After a bit, he was let go. Whatever had a hold of him released him, pushing him in a direction. He still couldn’t see through the water in his skull but felt the caress of the blackness on his bones. he laid there for a bit, trying to collect himself from what he just experienced.

After a bit of time, he got enough energy to gather himself. Just as he did, the back of his head hit something soft. He set up and his feet hit sand. He was on a rocky beach. He looked around, surprised. Above him was a rotating light, the light from the lighthouse. He jumped to his feet only to fall to his knees from dizziness. He took a moment to empty his skull of the rest of the water that was inside. He jumped to his feet, ignoring everything and running. He recognized this beach. He recognized those houses. He slowly walked his way back, enjoying the feeling of being home.

He passed the docks and found a lone figure sitting at the end. He slowly walked toward the figure. It was his brother. He was passed out, leaning against the post, softly snoring. As Papyrus drew closer, he noticed something off. He saw that his brother’s bones were ashen, unhealthy. The other had not been taken care of himself at all.

He gently picked Sans up in his arms, barely able to hold him. He slowly made his way home, to their home. Halfway, his brother stirred in his arms. He rubbed his back gently, soothing him back to sleep. When they got home, he set his brother down in front of the fireplace and placed a small blanket on him. He strode over to the connecting kitchen and sipped some water and ate a little bit of bread. His soul screamed for more, but that was all he would allow himself tonight. Tomorrow, he would make something more.

He laid down next to Sans, curling up around him and pulling him close into a tight hug. It hadn’t settled in quite yet that he was home. He was afraid that this was all a dream and he would wake back up on the sand. He pressed his face into Sans’s coat, it smelled of alcohol and tomatoes, but he couldn’t care less. He missed this.

He fell asleep in no time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It takes a little time and routine to heal and trust, but that's no challenge for one as great as I! Nyeh heh heh!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Updates may slow down a bit now that the raffle is done. Gotta work on the prizes!

He woke up slowly to the sound of soft rattling. He blearily opened his eye sockets and tried to get up. He was stopped by two small arms wrapping tight around his skull and refusing to let go. The soft rattling was of his brother’s small bones as he shook against Papyrus. His brother’s voice was deep, raspy, and so very shaky when he spoke.

“please… please t-tell me it’s really y-you… please d-don’t let this be a dream…” Sans pleaded softly.

Papyrus wrapped his arms around Sans’s back and middle, holding him close and just as tightly as Sans was holding him.

“Yes,” Papyrus answered. “It’s me. This is not a dream. I’m here, Sans.”

It was like the dam broke. They held onto each other and cried, clinging on for dear life. It had been a rough week for the both of them. Papyrus was more forthcoming with what happened to him than Sans was, but it was obvious to Papyrus that he’d slipped back into his old habits. He didn’t judge Sans at all. He had no right to. He’d approached the creature in the water to die after all. However, he did not tell Sans this. He omitted the creature entirely, not wanting to have Sans think he’s crazy.

They laid there for a long time, holding each other until it was time to get up. They had to go tell the village what had happened, but that could wait until after food. Sans made Papyrus a small plate with bread and some meat. It was a simple meal but enough for Papyrus. Although, he kind of missed the taste of the fish the creature had given him.

After he’d eaten and taken a small bath, he and Sans went to go speak to Lady Toriel. Not only was she the school teacher, she was also the healer. Sans had insisted that she look at the scrapes and burns on Papyrus. When they got there, she was excited to see that Papyrus was doing well. She healed the marks on him, leaving white scars in their place. Papyrus was happy to not have to worry about the pain anymore.

He explained to her what had happened, although she looked a bit skeptical that it was the entire story after seeing his injuries. Papyrus insisted that it was the truth and that he had no idea how he’s gotten burned. All the while, Sans was clinging to him.

For weeks, no one left him alone. Many people asked about what happened out there and Papyrus was always reluctant to answer. He hated the very memory of what had happened. He hated it more how he was the only one to survive and he couldn’t even explain why. People came and went, giving them food while Papyrus recovered from the trauma of what happened. Papyrus was grounded for the time being. He wasn’t allowed to go back fishing for at least a week and then it took some convincing from Sans to let him be taken fishing.

They’d gotten into a habit of going to the docks and fishing there. They would sit down and talk in their own language, in hands, so no one else would eavesdrop on them, especially when papyrus wanted to talk about the sandbank. They’d left early several times because Sans said he felt uncomfortable. Papyrus understood completely. He could feel eyes on them every time. And he knew how familiar they felt.

As days went on, he was able to pry himself away from Sans. Sans had to get back to his job at the lighthouse, while Papyrus was free to do what he wished during that time. Since his sleep cycle was still disrupted, he was up half the day and half the night. So, for half the night, he managed to go down to the docks. He didn’t fish there the times he went. He waited patiently.

After a couple of days, his patience was rewarded. Those glimmering blue eyes almost blended into the light reflecting off the water. Papyrus approached the edge of the dock, a bit wary of getting too close to the water. He was afraid that the other might sweep him away back to the sandbank again. But… he was grateful that the other had brought him back in the first place. He sat at the edge but didn’t dip his feet in the water. He looked at the inky mass, wondering what on earth the creature was. He smiled brightly at it.

“Thank you,” he whispered. The water simmered above the other a bit more. Judging from the way the eyes moved, the other nodded. They stayed there awkwardly for a bit, not sure what else to say when Papyrus got an idea. He started talking to it. It was just to break the ice at first, have something to talk about. But, he ended up talking about Sans and his life. He told the creature about the village and the people, the people who he lost and who he had left. He talked about Sans more than anything, which wasn’t really a surprise. Sans was his best friend and brother. The other stayed and patiently listened.

After a while, when it was getting a little late, Papyrus decided that it was time to go. He waved goodbye to the creature and headed home.

As he laid in bed, he thought about all his experiences with the other. It was obvious to him now that they possessed intelligence. They had kept him on the sandbank for a reason he couldn’t fathom and then returned him home for more reasons he couldn’t explain. At the end of the night, any animosity he might have held for the creature was gone. All that was left in its place was caution and a small bit of curiosity for the creature’s true appearance.

The second night he went, he talked again. And again, and again and again after that. Until finally, Papyrus trusted the other enough to get into the water with it. He took off his jacket, shirt, shoes, and pants, leaving him in nothing but his underwear. He had jumped in not a second later. The water was chest high, the perfect depth for swimming. When he approached the other, he noticed the creature back up. Getting an idea, he had swum forward a little, watching the other swim back. The other had stared at him with an unsure look. Papyrus had swum back and forth, trying to coax the other to join.

It took a bit of time, but soon the other joined him. They swam in circles around each other, splashing water slightly and over time they just started to play. When Papyrus was tired and out of breath, he climbed out of the water. He waved goodbye to the creature before pulling on his clothes. He would need to go bathe before Sans got home.

Every single night afterward, Papyrus would go to the docks while Sans went to work. Every day he would see the creature. He talked to the other about his day and about his brother. They seemed to listen intently and would respond with the simmering of the water or little splashes. He would confide in the other as well with what some of the other villagers had said to him. Not a lot of nice things were said to him most days.

Some days he would talk about Sans and their little situation. With the main boat gone and no way to go out to sea and fish, food became rather scarce. He was surprised when his next visit began with the gift of some fish, already cooked. He was touched with the gift but felt guilty when he had to lie to Sans about where it came from. As thanks, Papyrus would swim with the other until he got tired. Then he would climb out and say goodbye.

It took him by surprise when one day he and found those beautiful seashells at the end of the dock. They were the same ones as the ones he found at the sandbank. He’s mentioned the shells to his brother but didn’t go into detail about it. Sans was excited to see such beautiful things. They contained a variety of colors that he adored. Sans’s favorites were always the orange ones. Papyrus favored the ones with the pretty blue hues… probably a bit more than he should if he were honest. He hesitantly glanced over at Sans who was grinning over their new finds.

That smile always put the sunshine back in his day when he was down. He pulled Sans into a hug and they began their day.

That night, when Papyrus went to the docks alone, he saw a glow at the end of the dock. He rushed toward it to see what it was but it disappeared with a splash and hissing sound soon after. He got to the end and looked down. He saw those beautiful blue eyes staring at him. He smiled and waved at the creature.

“Hello, friend,” he greeted softly. The other splashed the water, seeming happy to see him. Papyrus looked down at his feet and saw more of those pretty shells. “So, you are the one leaving these pretty shells. Thank you. You made my brother really happy with them and me. The colors are so beautiful… I… Can I confess something to you?”

The other seemed to simmer with interest. Papyrus looked around to see if they were alone. He really didn’t want anyone by chance to hear him, even though he knew it was impossible at this time of night. Still… He needed privacy.

He turned back to his friend to find the other had swum off a little. He called out to them in a small panic. His friend drew closer and swam back a little as if beckoning him. Forgetting to take off his clothes, Papyrus jumped in. For the first time in weeks, perhaps months, his friend touched him. They gently grasped his wrist and tugged him along. It took a bit of effort to keep up, but Papyrus managed. He was dragged under the water for a few seconds, his shoulder scrapped a bit of rock but they were out before he knew it.

He took a small breath of air as he took in where they were now. The full moon above helped, lighting the surrounding area and casting an almost ethereal glow across what he realized now were the tide pools. Sans had told him never to go into them because the villagers had found a vast tunneling system below. Many people had disappeared in these waters.

He almost panicked again when he felt himself be lead away. His friend led him to the shallow waters with several rocks he could sit and rest on. He climbed onto the rock while the other stayed in the shallow three and a half feet of water. It was so beautiful out there. Papyrus felt a little guilty. He confession was anything but beautiful. His friend stayed there patiently, allowing him to speak when he wanted.

“Well… I… I’ve been feeling these… feelings… lately. They are things that I know I shouldn’t feel, especially with the person these feelings involve,” Papyrus began. “When you… When I was on that sandbank, I thought only about one person. I thought about how I wanted to see him again, see his smile and hear his laugh. When I came back, it was everything I could have dreamed of. His smile, his laugh, the way he looked like he was genuinely happy to see me every morning.”

He looked at the other to see if he had any reaction so far. None were visible. He took that as the okay to continue. Papyrus curled up on the rock, tucking his head between his knees.

“I love him very much… but the way I love him is wrong. We can’t be together, no matter how much I love him…” Papyrus said. He loved Sans so much, his soul hurt. He heard a bit of splashing. He peeked out over his knees to look at him.

What he saw next was… breathtaking.

His friend had crept up close to the rock. The water bubbled and boiled the closer they got to the surface. Black bubbled up and around them as they slowly emerged. Black bubbled out then blue. Blue flames came next. Papyrus scooted back a little on his rock, scared and yet fascinated with the display. The shapeless form they had been his friend emerged from the water, blue flames licking the rock while orange sprung up after it. Those blue eyes he adored stared at his face, taking in his reactions as the black was burned away to reveal a face and body of flame.

Papyrus’s face flushed a brilliant orange as he stared at a bare chest with small spits of flame protruding from it. The monster in front of him was handsome. Extremely so. Damn… W-wait… _This_ was the creature that had been… been…

Papyrus let out a confused, ungodly shriek of confusion. He was a monster?!?!

The flame – fire – merman – water creature – monster? Stars, Papyrus had no idea. But, he could see the smug expression on the other’s face. No. That was a smirk. That was definitely a smirk. What was that smirk about? Wait, why did he look amused?

Papyrus’s face was still flushed orange and it seemed to get worse by the second. The other raised a hand up, catching Papyrus’s eyes. He made a few signs with his hand. It took a few minutes for him to process the signs themselves let alone the fact that he recognized them.

“G… R… I… L… L… B… Y?” Papyrus murmured. “Grillby? Wait… YOU SPEAK HANDS??!?!?!?!?”

Grillby, as his friend was apparently called covered the sides of his head from the noise, but looked no less smug about surprising him.

_“Yes._ ”

Papyrus was dumbfounded. “You’ve been able to understand everything I’ve said this entire time?”

Grillby was a little hesitant before replying with, _“No.”_

“Wait, then how did you…” It dawned on Papyrus then. He and Sans had been signing to each other. The first couple of days, he’d been practicing the basics so he and Sans could speak privately to one another. He felt awe wash over him again and a warmth that he was familiar with… he shook that off. He was touched. “You… You taught yourself how to speak in hands?”

_“Yes,”_ Grillby smiled a leaned against the rock, the water around his waist boiled, hiding whatever was below – NOT THAT PAPYRUS WAS LOOKING… _“You love Sans, don’t you?”_

Papyrus’s face paled a bit. He had hoped the other did not realize that fact. He looked away in shame but gave a soft nod. A hand came to his chin and pulled him back to look at him.

_“You love Sans. Sans loves you. Why do you feel like that is wrong?”_

Papyrus sputtered a little. “He-he's my brother! He and I couldn’t be together even if we wanted to…”

_“Who told you that? Why exactly is it wrong to love him?”_

“B-Because it is! It’s wrong to want to touch him, to want him to hold me, kiss me and… and touch me in places…” Papyrus tried to look away again, but Grillby’s hands held firm.

_“But, why is it wrong? If you both love each other like that, then there is nothing wrong with it.”_

“You don’t understand…” Papyrus sighed, looking into those now orange eyes, all the salt water having been burnt away.

_“No. You don’t understand,”_ Grillby replied but held out a hand, _“But, I’ll help you with it tomorrow._ ”

“It is getting late, isn’t it…” Grillby gave a small nod. Papyrus let out one more sigh before taking Grillby’s hand and falling into the water. Grillby swam them both back to the docks where Papyrus walked home with the shells.

He was still awake when Sans arrived. His brother looked exhausted. Papyrus smiled at him, picked him up and went to their bed. His nightmares forced him to share a room with his brother just to sleep properly. He laid Sans down on the bed and climbed in next to him. He pulled Sans close but kept their ribcages a good distance apart. His soul ached terribly and also pulsed with a warmth that he wanted to ignore. He didn’t want to know why he felt such things. It was bad enough that he had to figure out how to deal with them about one person…


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Communication is important, even there lack of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been a while since I posted anything. Before I had a job, I had no life so... Now things are taking a bit longer to write or update. I am still working on the raffle stuff. I am thinking of streaming it. I don't know. Still trying to set that stuff up.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Anxiety attacks, crying, angst

The following day was pretty normal. He and Sans went to the docks and fished a bit. They found more shells, but this time they had flame symbols burned into the back. To say that Sans was perplexed was an understatement. He took Sans back home to talk to him. He needed to tell him about the sandbank again. This time, he needed to tell Sans the truth.

It was a long conversation. Really long… It had been hard for Papyrus to explain to Sans. But, after it was done, Sans stared at him with more than a little bit of skepticism. His eyes bored into Papyrus, making him feel uncomfortable. When he finally spoke, it was with a smile and filled Papyrus with relief.

“i’ll have to see it to really believe it, bro,” he said.

“Nyeh heh heh, well, I’ll have to talk to him about it beforehand. I’m sure he would agree though,” Papyrus answered, sipping at his mug of tea.

“yeah. i’d like to thank him in person for savin’ my bro from sharks and death by the elements.” Papyrus’s socket twitched. He didn’t want to think about the pun since it was unintentional. He didn’t exactly tell Sans about what happened last night. “so? does he have a tail of a fish or something? i mean, he lived in the water and you did call him a merman of sorts. so he got a tail or feet with webbed toes or something?”

“Oh,” Papyrus began, a little caught off guard with the question. He opened his mouth to answer but shut it again. He thought for a moment. “I don’t actually know. He only came hallway out of the water. I couldn’t see much else because of all the black in the water.”

“huh. i wonder what causes it. it didn’t seem like ink on your bones when you showed back up,” Sans said thoughtfully.

“Well, you will get to see soon. Maybe as early as tomorrow, if we are lucky.”

“yeah. i can’t wait to see this black mass of a fish monster you described…” Sans said. “But, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Papyrus hesitated, but his brother was giving him that look. It was that look like he was seeing into Papyrus’s soul. So, he may as well be honest. He definitely didn’t want Sans to see his secret…

“I thought you wouldn’t believe me. I was afraid you might think I was crazy or… or… I don’t know,” Papyrus confessed. “I was scared…”

“hey…” Papyrus felt a hand on his cheekbone, cupping the side of his face oh so gently. It was so warm and comforting. “i would **never** think you were crazy, papyrus. you are amazing, kind and sweet. sure, you’re a bit eccentric sometimes, but never crazy. yeah, it’s a lot to take in. i mean, if it happened to me, would you really believe me when i told you what happened?”

“Nyeh heh, probably not. I would think you were pulling my leg,” Papyrus laughed slightly, flushing from all the compliments.

“see? hard to believe, but not impossible. all i need is your word to believe you, but some visual would help a lot,” Sans joked.

“I understand, brother,” Papyrus answered, leaning his skull into his brother’s warm hand. He could stay like this all forever. “Though it seems to be getting late. You’ll need to go to work soon. I’ll talk to him tonight and see if he would like to meet you.”

“you do that bro. i’ll see you after my shift,” Sans said, pulling away from Papyrus. He then finished off his drink and walked toward the door. Before he exited, he looked back at his brother and gave him a genuine smile, saying, “love you, paps.”

“Love you, too, brother,” Papyrus replied and waved him goodbye. After Sans exited the house, Papyrus mumbled into his tea, “More than you know…”

He waited a couple of hours after dark before he went to the docks. As soon as he arrived at the docks, Grillby coaxed him into the water and lead them to the tide pools again. It was as beautiful as before. It also helped at Grillby’s form lit up the area around them. He stayed in the water this time slowly floating about with Grillby.

_“Have you told him yet?”_

“Told him what?”

 _“You and him!”_ Grillby signed excitedly.

“No… We actually talked about you today,” Papyrus informed. Grillby’s face fell. He looked disappointed and a bit cautious. “I had originally lied to him about you. I didn’t tell him because I was afraid he would think… ill… of me…”

_“Does he?”_

“No. He was very supportive. However, he would like to meet you in person. He says he wants to tell you something,” Papyrus informed. “Would… Would that be okay with you?”

Grillby seemed to think for a minute. The water around him simmered more. Papyrus wondered if he even noticed that happened when thinking.

 _“He can come… it has to be tomorrow though,”_ Grillby signed slowly.

“I understand. I wasn’t expecting tonight,” Papyrus replied, swimming closer. He’d gotten to the deeper end of the tide pool by accident. He didn’t feel safe alone, so he swam within arms-reach of Grillby.

 _“No. I would like to spend this night with you,”_ Grillby signed. Papyrus felt his non-existent throat dry up and a lump form in it. Wowie, that was an intense look Grillby was shooting his way. Papyrus began to sweat a little uncomfortable. He suddenly felt jittery and excited. Grillby swam closer to him, taking him by surprise when Grillby wrapped a hand around Papyrus’s waist. Papyrus flushed brightly as he was pulled close, almost flush against the other.

The water was boiling around them. It flowed around him and through his bones, sending warmth against his soul. Grillby led papyrus’s hand to his shoulder and took the other into his own. He led him through the water, gently. Papyrus observed curiously as he was led through the water, in awe of the feeling of powerful fins underneath the ashen black waters pushing them into s slow spin.

It was a little awkward with Papyrus’s two legs kicking a bit to keep him afloat. He accidentally kicked Grillby more than once.

“S-sorry…” he stuttered. A deep chuckle was the only sound he got in response.

A few kicks later and apologies later, Papyrus got the hand of it. They found a steady rhythm to move to, just slowly spinning around in circles. It was soothing, possibly the most relaxing activity he’d ever done.

They continued to move in tandem in a comfortable silence. Papyrus relaxed into Grillby’s hold, leaning into him more. It was so… nice.

But, it seemed to last only minutes. Papyrus had to pull himself away when he realized dawn was peeking over the mountain. Grillby seemed reluctant to let him go, yet he did so. He led Papyrus back to the docks and bid him farewell.

When he arrived back home, Sans was waiting for him. He had seemed very anxious and on edge. Then again, Papyrus only saw him for a second as he was passing through the door before arms wound their way around his middle with a shaky skeleton pressed against him.

“Sans?” Papyrus asked, but found that his brother was not listening. He gently pried off Sans’s arms and knelt down to look at him better. As soon as he was eye level, Sans quickly wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his face in the crook of it. His bones were rattling loudly. “Sans? Sans!” _What has gotten into you?_ He wanted to say, yet all his wondering stopped when Sans let out a small sob.

Scooping up his brother, he took them both to the fireplace and sat down. Sans was crying in his arms now. Blue tears streamed down his skull, staining it as he sobbed. Papyrus rocked him back and forth, saying soothing words and petting the back of his skull while he used the other to cradle Sans against him. He pressed small kisses to the crown of his skull, retraining himself to only that. As bad as he wanted to kiss his tears away, he didn’t want to ruin what he had with Sans.

It took a couple of hours before Sans calmed down enough to talk. Papyrus didn’t want to make him, but he had to know what set his brother off this time. Normally, he didn’t get this bad unless it was a nightmare. Sans was still sniffling into his shoulder when he pulled away slightly to look down at him. Sans didn’t meet his eye but tried to bury his face further into his warmth.

“Sans… You know we have to talk about this…” Papyrus whispered softly. His voice was booming in the silence that had previously only been cut open by the morning birds chirping. Sans didn’t say a word. He just nodded in agreement. “Why were you crying?”

Again, Sans didn’t say anything. He summoned two ghost hands to sign at them like their parents used to.

 _“relieved,”_ he signed. _“and scared… scared and relieved.”_

“Why? You didn’t have another nightmare, did you?”

 _“no…”_ Sans signed and seemed reluctant to sign any more, but Papyrus pressed on.

“Okay. So, what had you so scared?” he asked. Sans’s bones rattled again and his shoulders shook like he was going to cry again.

 _“you... gone… thought you were gone again… you didn’t come home. you are always home before me. scared, so scared that it took you away again… that you were gone again…”_ Sans whimpered and clung even tighter to Papyrus.

“Oh, brother…” Papyrus sighed. He hugged Sans tightly in return. “That will never happen again. I promise. Besides, Grillby isn’t like that. He won’t take me back. And if, by some chance, he wanted to, well… I won’t let that happen.” _I love you too much to ever leave you…_ Papyrus thought.

Sans didn’t seem too convinced. No matter. He would know tonight that it was never a possibility. He would meet Grillby and see just how amazing he is and understand. For now, though, it was time for sleep. He picked Sans up and brought him to the bedroom to sleep. They curled up under the covers together, Sans still clinging tightly to him.

Sunset came by, casting a red-orange light across their home. It touched Papyrus’s eyes, waking him. Seeing what the time, he shook Sans awake. After a couple of minutes, Sans was up… Well, he was awake… Actually, he was still half-asleep. Smiling fondly down at his lazybones of a brother, picked him up again and carried him to the kitchen. He made food while Sans groggily leaned against him. Once the food was ready, he set Sans down on the chair and set a plate in front of him. It was only fish, and not good fish at that, but it was something to eat, so they really couldn’t complain.

After they were done with their meal, they went to the docks. Today was Sans’s night off as of two hours ago. He was not going to make Sans work while he was like this. They went to the docks and found Grillby there.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pleasant nights and then dawn breaks...

“what the hell?” Sans said as he saw Grillby. Sans hadn’t seen him before and all he saw now was the shapeless blackness in the water. The water simmered above him, but his eyes were still visible. Darkness was surrounding them within seconds now, with the sun all the way down. Grillby didn’t’ attempt to emerge from the water. He stayed nearby and stared at them.

“Sans, language…” Papyrus chastised. “This is Grillby.”

“sorry, paps… i just thought you said he was a flame monster,” Sans replied.

“He is. He just doesn’t show himself here at the docks.”

“then how did you see him?”

“Never mind that, Sans. You still need to greet him.”

Sans hesitated, looking down at the blue eyes shining amidst the black waters. “heya…”

Papyrus let out a sigh. It was probably the best he was going to get. “Hello, Grillby. I hope you are well?” A sharp slash indicated yes. “Are we just staying here tonight? Or…?” Papyrus wasn’t exactly willing to admit yet that Grillby had been sweeping him away at night to the tidepools. He fought down the blush forming on his cheekbones at the thought. He and Grillby were just friends, nothing more. Grillby just _took_ him there to talk. It wasn’t like he swept him off his feet exactly.

There was a couple of splashes and Grillby pulled back a little. So, they were going to the tidepools today. Well, they would be able to talk there privately. There was no chance anyone was going to walk up on them. Although, Sans wouldn’t like it. He wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of the ocean.

“Okay, Grillby,” Papyrus said, then turned to his brother. “We’re going someplace private. We need to get into the water for him to take us there.”

Sans’s eye lights shrunk to near nothing. His mouth opened to protest when he was suddenly scooped up again. Papyrus held him in his arms and, not sparing another second, jumped into the water. They nearly sank to the bottom… But, Grillby helped them out.

He grabbed them by their arms and pushed them back up. Papyrus surface with relative ease. Sans was a sputtering mess and refusing to let go of Papyrus’s arm. He hid behind papyrus as Grillby swam closer. Clearly, he was upset. However, Papyrus knew that as soon as they got to their destination and everything calmed down Sans would realize that everything was fine and Grillby could be trusted.

Grillby pulled them both close, Sans struggling the entire time. He pulled them under water. He took them the normal route to the tidepools. It took only a minute to get there, but a soon as they surface, Sans scrambled away from them both, crawling up onto the rocks. Papyrus followed after him and consoled him as he shivered and shook.

It took a while for Sans to come back to himself a bit. He shot a half-hearted glare at Papyrus once he’d stopped shaking. “don’t ever do that to me again… i thought i was going to drown for a minute.”

“I promise not to, but at least now you know what will happen when we do it,” Papyrus said, always trying to stay on the bright side.

“i guess…” Sans grumbled. Grillby was waiting in the water, unsure of how to proceed. Papyrus turned to him with a bright smile, encouraging him to introduce himself. A second later, Sans found himself face to face with a very handsome fire elemental. A pretty blue flush found its way onto Sans’s features as he stared at the elemental.

“Brother, you are staring,” Papyrus pointed out.

Sans shook his head, clearing whatever thoughts he was thinking. He flashed a lazy grin and said, “can you really blame me, bro? Never seen a guy this _hot_.”

Papyrus groaned in agony. “That. Was. Deplorable. At least put a little more backbone into your puns.”

The two chuckled at their puns while Grillby sort of just… tilted his head. He seemed very confused. Papyrus spent a little time explaining what puns were to the other monster. Grillby understood, but would probably miss a lot of the puns Sans threw at him.

“this is really cool though,” Sans stated, looking at the water. “the water around him is acting like it would with volcanic vents in the ocean. it’s… amazing…”

 _“The fact that a skeleton can talk is amazing to me,”_ Grillby signed to him. Sans was once again stunned. He looked to Papyrus, questions on his teeth.

“He learned from watching you and I at the docks.” He watched it click in Sans’s skull. Those days that he’d felt like they were being watched were form Grillby watching and learning Hands.

“that’s amazing…”

_“Thank you.”_

Sans flushed a little more and stuttered. After a bit of sputtering, they all settled into a nice conversation. The three talked a lot that night. Sans thanked Grillby a lot for what he’d done. When they’d run out of things to talk about, Papyrus got into the water with Grillby. Like the night before he and Grillby swam around. Sans watched them, fascinated.

After a few minutes, Grillby motioned for Sans to join. He did so hesitantly. The water was very deep for him and he needed a little help staying afloat. Grillby came to his aid, sweeping him up in his strong arms. He started doing with Sans what he and Papyrus did last night. He started dancing slowly, letting Sans get used to swimming. Sans was looking up at him with complete fascination and awe. Orange and blue mingled, making Papyrus feel… something. Something bad. His soul hurt a little but he was happy that Sans and Grillby were both enjoying themselves.

His breath was knocked away when Sans looked at him, genuine happiness practically glittering in his sockets. He fought down all negative feelings at that sight. He smiled back with just as much sincerity. His brother was happy, therefore he was happy.

After a couple of minutes, Grillby parted from Sans, leading him to a nearby rock for support. He swam over to Papyrus and took him by the hand. He smiled and pulled Papyrus close, ribcage touching warm flames. Papyrus smiled and let Grillby lead him through a small dance. It was slower than before. It was almost… intimate. Which was utterly preposterous! It was completely platonic! But, those warm flames licked at his bared ribs, nearly grazing his soul. It made his bones rattle in pleasure. Surely it was just an accident… right?

Even if it was, the warmth Papyrus felt in his bones, made him feel content like he did when he and Sans cuddled up in front of the fire. He rested his head on Grillby’s shoulder, basking in the warmth while they danced. He caught a glimpse of Sans as they spun around. His brother had a look only of awe and fascination. Yet, there was something… darker hidden behind his eyes. It was that look Sans got sometimes. He couldn’t ever recall a pattern. It was just something that happened. He pushed the thought away.

Like the night before, it seemed like only minutes before they were pulling away. Only, this time, Grillby held his hand as he beckoned Sans to come forward. Sans did so hesitantly, curiosity in his eyes. Grillby took his hand and led him to Papyrus. They both gave him confused looks as they were paired together instead of with him.

Grillby just smiled at them and motioned for them to start dancing. It took a minute to even get them to be somewhat comfortable with it. A small awkwardness set into the air as Grillby pushed them closer, showing them how to dance properly. To help them with a rhythm, he started to hum a small tune. It was soft and pleasant to hear. Sans calmed down near instantly, getting the hang of the dance and slowly swimming with Papyrus.

When Grillby’s song stopped, they both took turns dancing with him again and then each other. It was so nice to be with Grillby and Sans like this.  His soul sang as he danced with Sans while Grillby hummed such a lovely tune.

It was near daylight again when they all parted. Grillby showed them back to the docs and waved goodbye to them. Papyrus, almost dreamily, waved back. Sans did the same. Only, Papyrus noticed that dreamy look on his face when he turned to leave. He had to pull Sans with him just to get him to stop staring. Seeing the look on Papyrus’s face, had Sans looking away with a small flush of embarrassment and, was that shame? Oh no, Papyrus would have none of that tonight.

He quickly guided Sans home where he planned to make him his favorite meal to wipe that look off his face. There would be no sadness today! Only happy memories as they recalled… dancing with Grillby and… together… Papyrus found himself flushing at the memory. He was so impossibly close to the both of them tonight! And in such an intimate atmosphere!

Papyrus hurried through the door to their home, hoping his orange magic was not making any freckles show on his face. He was stopped short when Sans spoke up.

“hey, Paps…” Sans began. He seemed very uncomfortable at that moment. He was looking anywhere but in Papyrus’s general direction, feet toeing at a spec of dirt or another on the floor. His hands were in his pockets and his shoulders hunched a little unsurely.

“Yes, Brother?”

“you know… you coulda just…” Sans rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. Papyrus felt a bit of anxiety creep up his spine.

“I… I Could Have Just… What, Sans?” Papyrus asked, unsurely.

Sans seemed to grow a little frustrated. His featured showing twenty different emotions before settling on… defeat? He looked up at Papyrus with sad eyes that showed shame and guilt.

“you coulda just told me he was your boyfriend…”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A big misunderstanding...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAHHHHH I AM SHIT FOR TAKING SO LONG ON EVERYTHING BUT I HOPE YOU LIKE THE CHAPTER SESU! I didn't ask for this chapter, it just sorta happened...
> 
> Warnings: Suicidal thoughts, Mentions of wanting to Fall Down, Sans and Papyrus have a fight, Sans is a dick, Guilt, Shame, Hard Feels, Negative thoughts

****Papyrus’s eyes went wide at the statement.

“What?” he balked.

“you heard me,” Sans replied as he shifted uncomfortably.

Confusion swirled around Papyrus’s skull as well as panic. Sans couldn’t actually think that Grillby was his boyfriend, right? He didn’t even understand how that could work. Papyrus lived on land and Grillby in the sea. He supposed that yes, he had kept a handsome fish/flame monster secret from his brother until last minute like… well, maybe Sans’s assumption wasn’t completely unfounded. He had kept his secret like a school girl would her boyfriend from her parents, but Grillby was just his friend!

“Wait, no he’s not! He’s just a friend, Sans. I care about him, yes, but it is purely platonic!” Papyrus assured. Sans’s posture changed in an instant, going rigid and defensive.

“Don’t lie to me!” Papyrus flinched a little as Sans, his normally quiet brother, raised his voice. Papyrus took a small step back when Sans looked at him. No, Sans’s eye was glowing. Why was he so mad? “you coulda just told me that he was your boyfriend. you didn’t have to go sneaking around and be so secretive. i would’ve understood that better than… than…”

Papyrus felt a small bead of sweat begin to drip down his spine. He didn’t want to move. He was… he was…

“Th-than what…?”

Sans’s gaze was fixed on his for several moments before he closed his eyes and looked away. He brushed past Papyrus, with a gruff, “nevermind.”

No. No, no, no. Papyrus felt all his nerves go on end. His mind screamed that he needed to know what it was. But, the other half didn’t want to upset Sans further. He warred with himself for several seconds, his chance slipping further and further away.

“Sans…” He found himself saying. He tensed when he heard those footsteps stop.

“what.”

It was like a lump formed in his non-existent throat. He somehow swallowed it down, though. “Please tell me. Please…”

Sans stayed silent for a while. Papyrus felt his soul begin to beat fast and uncomfortably. He was afraid to turn around and see Sans’s face if Sans was even facing him. The silence stayed, stabbing into Papyrus’s bones and sending horrible jolts through his soul. He wanted to curl up and hide again. He almost wanted to be anywhere but there, but he forced himself to stay.

“Please…” Papyrus whimpered. He felt tears begin to form at the bottom of his sockets. He didn’t even know why he needed to know anymore. Was there a point? Sans probably didn’t even mean it. Still, something compelled him to stay.

After agonizing minutes, Sans replied to him.

“i woulda understood it better if you had just told the truth… if you had just told me that you were away with him instead of pulling that goddamned disappearing act…”

Papyrus’s soul sank as the words dug into his soul. He heard Sans continue to his own room and then slamming the door behind him. Papyrus felt hot tears spill down his cheekbones as he realized what just happened. He felt a sob leave his chest, but he couldn’t hear it. It was all too uncomfortable here. He needed to get away, he had to get out of here. It was unbearable. The air was slicing his bones to shreds.

Papyrus’s feet carried him numbly from that place. He barely registered anything until he arrived at the tide pools. The morning tide had flooded them, but Papyrus didn’t care. He took a seat in some shallows and just sat there. Tears fell down his face as he processed all the little implications that Sans’s words brought.

He’d called him a liar. He refused to believe anything that Papyrus had told him. He somehow just got it in his skull that Papyrus and Grillby were involved when that just wasn’t the case. He… he called his disappearance an act…

Flashes of his friend dying, their screams echoing on the air but muted by the waves, assaulted his mind. Fresh tears spilled as he cried. He couldn’t understand how Sans could say those things. He knew that Papyrus would never do that. He knew Papyrus wouldn’t ever lie or pretend such awful things happened when they did. He felt guilt creep through his soul and make him feel cold. He could have done more to save his friend. He could have stayed up and been the lookout. He could have helped out more. He should have insisted that they return home before the storm hit. He should have done  _something_.

His skull hurt. It felt like it was filled with cotton. Hoping to obtain some relief, he laid down on the rocks and curled up. It was a little cold out. The air bit into him little. He just wanted to sleep. Maybe the pain would stop if he slept.

He didn’t sleep.

Papyrus couldn’t even bring himself to close his eyes. He felt and watched as the sun moved over the sky and set on the horizon. Dark followed soon after. He saw a familiar spec of light in the distance. He didn’t have the energy to move. But he watched a familiar concerned face dive under the water and pop up somewhere close to him.

His eyes barely followed him as he made his way over to the rocks Papyrus was now. He knew Grillby was there when he felt a familiar and warm presence beside him. He let out a shaky breath as a hand was laid on his shoulder. The warmth reminded him of how cold he was and made more tears spill down his eyes. He heard a splash and grew a little curious.

He turned around and found Grillby sitting on the rock with him. He had this concerned look on his face, but he did not sign anything to him. He merely wiped away the tears and hummed that same sweet tune Papyrus had heard only hours before. Although, if they were being honest, it just made Papyrus cry a bit more.

The flame monster gave him a pitying look before scooping him up in his arms and dragging him into the water. There, Grillby held him against his chest while Papyrus clung to him. It was well into the night before Papyrus calmed down. A little while afterward, he’d managed to look up at Grillby and give a soft, albeit hoarse, “Sorry…”

 _“It’s okay,”_ Grillby signed back.  _“Take all the time you need to.”_

Papyrus did. Unfortunately, it took a couple more hours before he finally got the will to speak, let alone the courage.

“He thinks we’re involved…” he whispered, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled upon them.

 _“Why would he think that?”_  Grillby asked.

“I’m not too sure. Maybe it was because of how long I waited to tell him about you. Maybe it was the dancing. Maybe it was something else I don’t know about. But, I tried to correct him, and he called me a liar…”

Grillby frowned. He went silent, petting Papyrus’s skull to comfort him. It was the most he could do. Papyrus knew he had to work this out with Sans himself. There really was nothing else for Grillby to do but be there for him. He just hoped that Sans would realize his mistake… His heart ached thinking about Sans’s smile, his laugh, and his warm bones. Fresh tears spilled from his sockets as Grillby held him close.

When the tears dried up, hopefully for the final time, he curled closer to Grillby. Grillby pulled him into the water, warming the water around them, knocking the chill off the other’s bones. He placed a small kiss on the drown of Papyrus’s skull. The skeleton was practically dead on his feet. He didn’t seem to have slept at all.

Gathering the pile of bones into his arms, Grillby motioned for him to take a breath. Papyrus did so, allowing Grillby to drag him under. The flame took him through some very tunnels before bringing Papyrus up to an air pocket. Looking around, Papyrus saw that it was a small underground cave. It was enough space to be about the size of a bedroom. Grillby set him down on the rock before diving back down.

It took about seven or eight trips, but Grillby brought back sponges for Papyrus to sleep on. His hands dried them out almost instantly and kept them warm for Papyrus. With a little bit of seaweed, Papyrus had been able to fashion out a bed for two. When Papyrus motioned for Grillby to join, Grillby only lifted his tail out of the water, showing his inability to leave it. Papyrus looked a little disheartened. Grillby seemed to see that and offered to hold his hand while he fell asleep.

But, as Grillby stared at that sleeping face, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he should go back up. After a few more minutes of staring at Papyrus’s beautiful skull, he reluctantly left. He went back to the surface.

 

* * *

 

 

Sans was panicking. He was hyperventilating, he knew it and he couldn’t do anything about it which only made him panic more. He’d woken up in a cold sweat after a fitful hour of sleep. Papyrus never came to bed, and when he woke up, Papyrus was nowhere in the house. The door had been left wide open. Worried out of his mind, Sans bolted out of the house in search for him.

He checked Toriel’s and then the docks and every other place Papyrus could have been in town. His soul pounded frantically. He couldn’t find him. He couldn’t. Papyrus was gone. Had… had he even been there to begin with? Had Sans imagined it all? Had he just gone insane from loneliness? A sharp pain hit in his soul and then an emptiness filled him.

How could he have said those things? It was obvious that Papyrus wouldn’t –  _couldn’t_  play such a terrible trick for any reason, let alone selfish ones. Papyrus was gone… Lost at sea with all the others aboard that ship. He was never going to see him again…

What… What was the point? What was the point of being here anymore? What was keeping Sans here? His only family was gone, and it wasn’t like he had any real friends. Not anymore at least. Gods, why did he ever think Papyrus – phantom of his imagination or not – would ever lie about seeing his friends die? It was obvious enough. Ever since he started seeing the image of his brother, he’d not seen a single one of his old friends. Hell, he’d  _talked_  for Papyrus a lot, went fishing, played games… Never once realizing that he’d done those things by himself…

He was so stupid to believe that a miracle had happened, that his brother was spared by the storm or the sharks or whatever actually took their lives.

His feet were taking him somewhere, he didn’t pay attention to where. After all, would it really be so terrible to walk aimlessly around, thinking of better times until he Fell Down or a Human came by and decided to strike him down for whatever reason? It didn’t seem so bad… Tears welled up in his eyes as he reminded himself about how Papyrus was gone. His dust was scattered across the ocean. His own dust had nothing to be spread on after he fell.

His feet ached, feeling a bit wet. He had no idea where he was. When had it gotten dark again? He didn’t remember. He could only think of Papyrus.

The tide pools came into view, blurred by the magic dripping from his sockets. He tripped a couple of times, falling and scraping his patella. But, he got back up, too tired to just lay there and longing for the repetition of walking. That feeling died when he stood at the edge of the deep, dark waters of the tide pools. The water was inky black, like the terrible black water form children’s stories, the ones used to scare children into being good… to keep away from tide pools…

Sans’s soul sank further as he remembered telling Papyrus those stories. He wondered if the water was as ice cold as the stories told. If so, if the cold hit him hard enough, it could affect his HP. It was a stretch, though, given that he had no skin for it to truly affect him. But, in the stories, the water was more lethal the smaller you were...

He didn’t want to think of it more. He inched himself closer to the edge, his toes hanging off it. The sooner he did this, the sooner he would be with Papyrus… He stuck one foot out in front, hovering it above the water. Cold wisps licked at his bones, like fingers reaching for him. With a small jerk, he moved forward, launching himself forward.

It was as if time stopped while he fell. Suspended in midair, he saw beautiful fire explode out of the water. It illuminated the area, making the water droplets glitters like a million small flames. Two arms were outstretched, ready to catch him, ready to pull him close. Those bright blue eyes locked on him and he could feel the warmth surround him as those arms enclosed after him.

He fell only into warmth and softness, clinging to the one that had caught him. Grillby. The one who was now holding him as close as physically possible for a skeleton. One arm was securely around his back while the other’s hand held his skull firmly to his chest. Sans’s hands clung to Grillby’s back.

It was firm.

Solid.

_Real._

A sob escaped him, and it felt like every second Grillby held him, his dam was breaking until finally, he was just sobbing into Grillby’s chest. Grillby was real. That meant Papyrus.  _Grillby and Papyrus_  were real. Everything that had happened was true. His time spent with Papyrus and Grillby had happened. All of it. His tears of relief turned to regret as he remembered how horrible he had treated his brother and, by extent, Grillby.

“i’m sorry… i’m so sorry… i’m sorry,” was all he could say. Grillby let out soft hisses, shushing him, but all he could do was continue to sob. He couldn’t stop. He couldn’t.

Grillby just held him close, keeping him warm, keeping him grounded and alive while they bobbed in the waters. He began to hum the same tune that he did when they danced. It was soft, slow, comforting even as the sounds of thunder started. The pitter-patter of rain on rock sounded so low as Sans cried. It felt like hours before he calmed down. Grillby held him through it. He wanted to thank him but just didn’t have the energy.

Grillby asked him to take a gulp of air, which he did. He held it while the monster dragged him under and into the inky depths. It felt strange going through the tunnels, aware of what was happening, but no fear, worry, or even anticipation as they went. He was numb to it. And when they emerged on the other side, he only had enough sense in his mind to curl up with his brother on whatever soft thing they lied upon. Grillby gave him a gentle kiss on the crown of his skull as he took both Papyrus’s hand and Sans’s into his own.

He continued to hum that soft song as the rain pattered on the rocks above.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took me so long. I realized that this story was only about a third of the way over, which felt like it was over halfway done to me, but not the point. I really do love writing this story and I am always giddy when I write on it. I may spend more of my time focusing on this story and one other for a bit.
> 
> Anyway, nothing major really happens in this chapter, to me at least. I hope you enjoy nonetheless!

Sans was the first of the three to wake. He’d always been a light sleeper, but nightmares still plagued him. He looked around to get some of his bearings. His eyes widened when he noticed that he was laying on a bed of dried sponges with Grillby holding one of his hands while his other was clasped in another skeleton hand. He felt the familiar and wonderful presence of his brother at his back. He felt nothing but warmth, contentment, and _love_.

It didn’t last. He remembered what he said to his brother and how he treated him. He hated it. He felt shame and guilt wrap around and choke his soul. How could he have been so stupid? He was so, so stupid. He let… he let his jealousy push his brother away... He shamed his brother for making another friend after losing all the others. He didn’t deserve forgiveness of any kind.

A couple of tears slipped down his cheekbones as he brought his brother’s hand to his mouth and placed a small kiss there. His eyelights landed on the other hand that was gently clasped within the fire monster’s. He closed his eyes, not willing to look at the sight.

Yes. He was feeling jealousy. His brother had found such a handsome monster to love. It was written all over his brother’s face when they’d danced with Grillby. Sans was a fool to get in the way with that because of his own feelings. He knew it was wrong to love his brother this way. Grillby would be good for him.

Sans’s mind wandered to the warmth he felt earlier. That warmth had saved him from dusting then and there. Grillby had been there to catch him before he Fell Down. Even now, his flames flickered pleasantly, sending warm chills through Sans’s bones. Hos flames weren’t as bright or burned as hot, but they were still pleasant. He wanted to huddle closer to the warmth, but he did not want to leave Papyrus’s side. Gods, he was selfish.

After a while of just lying there, basking in their presence, their warmth, he felt them both begin to stir. Not quite ready to face the consequences of his actions, he pretended to be asleep.

Papyrus woke up before Grillby. What woke Grillby was both hands being snatched from his hold. Papyrus had wrapped his arms around Sans, turned him around and held him close. Sans could see his ribcage rising and falling and uneven rhythms. Sans knew what that meant. Right on cue, the hiccups started, and little tears slipped down his face. His hold grew tighter on Sans, almost bone crushing.

Papyrus was whimpering and crying now, muttering and mumbling broken words under his breath. Sans wrapped his arms around Papyrus and a hug just as tight. He rubbed soothing little circles into Papyrus’s back. Tears sprang to his eyes as he realized what he’d done. He done this to Papyrus. He’d hurt his brother like this and there was just no making up for that. That didn’t mean Sans wouldn’t try though. He muttered small words of comfort, apologies, and love as he tried to calm Papyrus down.

He felt warm hands touch him again. They were doing the same thing to him as they were to Papyrus. Sans clung to Papyrus, enjoying the solid warmth of his while tears slipped from his own eyes.

“i’m sorry. i’m sorry. i’m so sorry,” he repeated, like a mantra. Words would never express the regret he felt for making Papyrus cry like this. “i was stupid… i was so stupid to say those things to you, Paps… you never deserved anything i said to you, you don’t deserve to hurt like this. i am so sorry…”

Papyrus pulled away to look Sans in the eyes, sniffling. A choked sob escaped here and there. “But, why? _Why_ did you say those things?”

Sans hesitated. He didn’t have a good reason for saying those things to him.

“i don’t know…” he said. “i was stupid…”

“Brother, you are not stupid! Surely you know the reason why!”

Sans stayed silent. He didn’t know why. He knew he had been hurt when he saw Papyrus be so close to Grillby. it had just been a stupid thought that popped into his head. It was unwanted, unwarranted. He knew that wasn’t the case, and yet he believed it… But, the way Papyrus looked at Grillby… he didn’t know. It made his soul hurt, like he wanted Papyrus to look at him like that. He didn’t know why either.

“i… i don’t…” Sans said softly, almost murmuring. His soul hurt now thinking about it. “but, it won’t ever happen again! i promise you, Papyrus.”

Papyrus stared into his eyes searchingly. His expression held a sort of desperation in it. It felt like Papyrus _needed_ to see that Sans meant it, that he needed the assurance. When more tears welled up in his sockets, Sans got worried. Instead of pushing him away, Papyrus pulled him into another bone-crushing hug. He pulled Sans into his lap and just held him there for the longest time.

Grillby smiled at their display. He went to pull away, but Sans’s hand jerked out to stop him. He needed the comfort right now. He needed the warmth. He needed that warmth to remind him that he was still there and alive. It wasn’t lost on Sans that he nearly Fell Down. Grillby’s warmth no doubt saved him from certain death. It brought him back and it held him, even now, like an anchor. He pulled Grillby into the hug. Those strong arms wrapping around both the skeletons with ease.

 

* * *

 

 

Sans and Papyrus had to say their goodbyes to Grillby and go back home later that day. it was the middle of the day and they needed to go wash up. Sans had to go get the scrapes on his knees treated while Papyrus went to go check and see if their house was alright. Sans was sure it was. Monsters respected boundaries. If he’d left the front door open, the mother monsters would have closed it. Still, Papyrus was likely going to make some food as well and warm up the bed for sleep or to just lay there.

Sans decided to go see Toriel. His knees needed tending to and she would have some sort of medicine for them, as well as some food. As he approached her house, he noticed something a bit odd. A very ordinate carriage was sitting outside. A coachman was tending to the horses and not really paying much attention to the monsters that were ogling it. It was the fanciest thing Sans had ever seen. It screamed nobility from a mile away. One wheel on that carriage would pay food for the rest of Papyrus and Sans’s life. No. It would pay for everyone’s boats back and the supplies they lost.

Sans cautiously approached the house, noting the two royal guards standing at the door. Who on earth decided to pay their small town a visit? Lurking in the shadows, Sans waited and waited. After a while, a large figure emerged from the door. It was a very tall goat monster, much like Toriel. He wore the royal robes but didn’t wear the crown. He must have been someone very important, if not the Prince himself. Minutes later, the carriage too off as well as the entourage.

Sans quickly skittered inside the house. To his surprise, he found a very flustered healer.

“wow. i didn’t think it was possible for you to blush through your fur,” Sans teased.

“Wha-? Oh! Please, give me just a moment. I have… I have had the strangest encounter,” Toriel stated. He took several minutes to fix herself up, distracting herself by making Sans something to drink and warming up a plate of pie.

“i can imagine. prince charming come by with a glass slipper for you?” Sans asked as he took a seat. This statement only seemed to fluster he further.

“No, no. Nothing like that,” she insisted. “That was indeed the Prince, but he seems to be carrying out some duties for the guard himself. Apparently, the Capital has experienced a serious plague of illness and he is seeing to some duties that are not his own.”

“damn… i hope it doesn’t head our way,” Sans said. “we’ve got enough on our plate as it is.”

“That’s what he was here to discuss. He gave us some medical supplies as well as some relief. I had applied for tax relief for the village ever since we lost our best supplies. That coupled with the famine, have hurt us too terribly. The Prince has given us an eighty-percent tax deduction until we get back up on our feet. He’s also lent us some money to buy the supplies we need,” she explained, handing him his cup.

“wow… that’s… that’s very generous of him. what did he want in return?” Sans asked, taking the cup gratefully.

“Nothing,” she said, averting her eyes. Sans didn’t believe her for one moment but decided to let it drop. He curled up in his seat, tucking his sore knees under his chin as he watched her move around her kitchen. “So, why are you paying a visit today? That sullen expression on you says you’ve found your brother.”

Sans took a few minutes to answer. Memories of why and how he’d gotten the cuts and bruises on his knees made his chest ache with guilt and ghost pains of past emotions.

“to _patella_ the truth, i tripped while looking for him,” Sans said, but left out the rest of what transpired.

“Ah,” Toriel replied, but she didn’t say much more than that. Did she not believe him? Probably. She was very perceptive and wise beyond her years. It’s what made him hesitate on asking his next question.

Toriel strode over with a slice of pie. She handed it to him, while she sank to the floor to examine his knees. Sans uncurled himself to give her better access to the injuries. The goat monster frowned at the appearance but didn’t say anything.

Sans dug into the slice of pie. An awkward silence filled the air as Toriel fixed his patellae while he stuffed his face. Her cooking was always the best. No. Second best. Papyrus’s food was always better. He wouldn’t trade the world for it. He really loved his brother. He couldn’t do anything without him. He loved him too much.

A single tear escaped Sans’s eyesocket without his permission. He wiped it away quickly, but Toriel already saw. She gave him a sad smile. She had seen him in a much worse state than this. When Papyrus disappeared the first time, he’d stayed at the docks, hoping to see the sails on the horizon. He’d hoped. He’d prayed to whatever gods were out there. But, after several days past… and the first remnants of dust were found in the seafoam… Sans shut down for a bit.

Toriel put a paw on his back. He found a bit of comfort in the contact. Letting out a shaky sigh, he put the plate down and curled up again. Toriel pulled away with a soft smile. She took a seat in the large plush chair next to the fireplace. She didn’t say a word, just let him be. After a long while, he worked up the courage to ask her the question that had been bothering him.

“Tori…” he mumbled.

“Hmm?”

“do… do you… have you…?”

“Take a moment to think of your question.”

Sans let out a small sigh. “have you… have you ever felt lost? when you don’t know or understand what’s going on? or… why you feel a certain way?”

“Many times,” she answered immediately. “But, you need to be a bit more specific.”

Sans groaned a little in frustration. “i mean… have you ever felt like a person just lights up your day? that just knowing that they’re in your life is amazing and everything you could ever ask for… but it’s not… that if they ever disappeared or left you, that you don’t know what you’d do? The mere thought of them leaving feels like you’re going to Fall…”

Sans curled in on himself a bit tighter, feeling Toriel study him with those red eyes of hers. Several minutes passed with no response, making Sans feel stupider by the second. He shouldn’t have asked. He should have just left it alone. Why bother? She probably already knew who he was talking about. That would open a whole new box of problems. Fuck, why was he so stupid?

“Yes, I have… From what you’re describing, it sounds a lot like love to me,” Toriel explained slowly, her eyes never leaving him. “Love is a beautiful thing. It’s what ties people together. But, I get the feeling that’s not what you really want to talk about.”

Sans laughed humorlessly. She always hit the nail in the head. “not really. i guess what i really want to know is… how do i stop loving someone i know i’m not supposed to?”

“I see…” Toriel said in that tone that just said her lips were pursed together. “I take it you don’t want to love this person for whatever reason. You push yourself away from them but them regret it, only to bask in their presence again and again because that seems to be the only thing that keeps you grounded.”

 _Grounded._ The word echoed in Sans’s head for a bit. His mind echoes back to the warm and beautiful orange that surrounded him and held him in place. _That_ had grounded him. That warmth, that presence, had grounded him quicker than anything else in his life. But… Papyrus always felt like he was flying high. He was Sans’s energy. He gave Sans energy to wake up every morning and to keep going. He woke up just for Papyrus… and now he found himself looking forward to seeing Grillby too.

Sans mentally shook that out of his head. This was all too confusing. One thing at a time. He needed to tackle one problem at a time. He would just overwhelm himself if he even tried to touch on how he felt about Grillby.

“y…yes…” _And no, but she doesn’t need to know that…_

A large paw landed on his shoulder, patting him affectionately. Toriel let out an amused little chuckle, looking down at Sans with a knowing smile. “That’s called love, you sillybones.”

Sans looked at her, not really processing what she said. He opened his mouth to retort with ‘yeah, I kind of get that, but I know that is not what I am talking about’, when it hit him. The kind of love she was referring to was not the kind he was thinking. His face flushed a bright royal blue before he ducked his head between his knees. Toriel chuckled at his flustered appearance.

He loved his brother. Not only brotherly love… he loved him in the romantic sense. That made a lot of sense... Sans stood up, shooting Toriel a quick ‘thank you’ before he made his retreat from the hut. He was screaming mentally. He’d never thought for a minute that he’d want to… to…

Wait…

What did he want?!

Papyrus was perfect in almost every way. He lit up Sans’s life. He didn’t ever want to be left out of his life… But did that mean he wanted to bond with him or something? A pleasant warmth filled his soul at the very thought.

Okay. Fine. He might actually. But, there was something missing here. Toriel knew exactly who he was talking about… right? Certainly, she wasn’t condoning this…

…

Right????

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know what you think with a comment!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Papyrus watch the changes of life around them, settling back into a somewhat normal routine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good GOD, it's been a while. I am happy that I finally got to write this chapter. I think you guys will find that it has more story building in it. A lot of things happen in this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Smooches to Sesu because she is still an absolute sweetheart.

Things didn’t exactly go back to normal after that incident. A week passed, then a month, and Sans still felt awkward with himself. He still felt shame and guilt, which only seemed to grow when Papyrus noticed and made sure to assure him that everything was alright, that everything was okay. Sans loved him all the more for that but being so close to him made Sans happy and nervous.

Other than that, there were many changed made to the village. Extra grain from the royal granaries was distributed out and rations would be distributed every week to everyone. Royal guards were in charge of the distribution and were stationed in the village. They were currently working on building a watchpoint tower near the lighthouse. It was unsettling to think that the soldiers were going to stay. It didn’t bode well.

A memorial for the lost lives was built at the beach. Names were still being etched onto it, with the help of Papyrus and others who lost loved ones. Sans helped with what he knew as well. Some of the fishermen Papyrus was with didn’t have families but had friends who knew they were on the boat. Once all the names were engraved, they would host a candlelight memorial for those lost.

Murmurs still followed Papyrus, however. There were families that didn’t quite believe that he was the sole survivor of the shark attack. Some people didn’t believe that there was a shark attack at all. Papyrus came home in tears sometimes. Sans made sure that those people got their dues. He turned them into Toriel, who was much harsher about harassment than the guard was.

The village was also given logging permits out. Monsters who couldn’t hunt or fish were out logging to help make the lumber necessary for boats and barrels. The blacksmith was even sent some raw iron to work into fittings, nail, and other things. With all the help they got from the capital, everything was booming.

Sans resumed his position at the lighthouse. Papyrus help anywhere he was allowed. He helped carry logs, chop the wood, plant more trees, run errands for the blacksmith and the guard. Papyrus really admired the guard. He shadowed a couple before he got shooed away on another errand. He wasn’t put off about it. He seemed pretty happy. None of his jobs involved killing any animals for food or hurting anyone.

Sans was happy keeping maintenance of the lighthouse. He would check how things were running during the day and make sure to keep an eye on it after dark. If it stopped working, he would have to put on the emergency lighting until he fixed it. Every night, though, he can see the beautiful form of Grillby splashing around in the waves, sometimes with Papyrus, sometimes not. He would smile down each time, hoping the other could see him.

The one day that both Sans and Papyrus took off to go see Grillby had been an… odd one.

They had waited at the tide pools for Grillby with excitement. They couldn’t wait to chat away about the changes that have been happening. Though they were surprised to have to wait for so long, it didn’t impede their excitement. They chatted away with him almost like usual. Although the entire time they spent with him, Grillby seemed distracted. And touchy.

Papyrus squeaked the first time Grillby touched him without warning. It was just a hand on his femur. They thought nothing of it when he did the same with Sans. He was practically laying in their laps while they spoke. When they felt like swimming, he practically dragged them in the water with him. From there it got weirder.

Grillby was especially clingy with Papyrus. He held Papyrus chest to chest with his face buried in Papyrus’s neck. It felt horribly intimate and inappropriate. It made Papyrus blush and look to Sans for help.

“hey, Grillby… everything okay?” Sans asked hesitantly and flinched when Grillby’s eyes snapped to him. A wild look in them. They were wide, with his pupils nearly pinpricks. Fear shot through Sans. The flame monster had never looked at them like that before. It was like he was assessing Sans. Sizing him up. “Grillby?”

“Grillby, what is wrong?” Papyrus asked, trying to pull away to look at him. Grillby growled and held onto Papyrus tighter. His bones didn’t agree with the increase in pressure. “Owwie! Grillby, that hurts a little.”

The flame monster didn’t seem to understand him, still staring at Sans. He let out a low growl in his throat. It was the kind that thrummed through his chest and seemed to vibrate the water. Sans shivered, somewhat from fear and… Sans gasped as his body felt hot and itchy. Grillby’s eyes dilated and his growling turned even lower, softening to almost a purr. His grip visibly loosened on Papyrus and an arm reached out for Sans. Sans moved just out of his reach, staring at them both in confusion and fear.

Having been released a little somewhat, Papyrus pulled back to look at Grillby’s face. Concern filled his features. He put his hands on both sides of Grillby’s face, coaxing him to look at Papyrus.

“Grillby. Grillby,” Papyrus tried. There was no visible change.

That’s when the smell hit Papyrus. It was the smell of cedar, freshwater, and snow. Crisp, cool and sweet. Papyrus had only smelled that scent once or twice a year. He glanced over to Sans and saw tears in his eyes. Shame, embarrassment, and fear were the only emotions clear on Sans’s features.

Sans was going into heat. Grillby could smell it. With the way he was acting, he likely could have been smelling it the entire time. But, he grabbed onto Papyrus first. That meant….

Grillby was growing frustrated with not being able to reach Sans. The water was growing warmer as Grillby’s control slipped more. Sans just backed away further until his back hit the edge of the pool. He was hesitant to get out in fear of what Grillby might do to Papyrus. So, he stayed and watched, worried as Papyrus tried to get Grillby’s attention.

“Grillby. Grillby, listen to me,” Papyrus tried. “You need to let me go. I know what’s happening and it’s not wise to be around us right now. You’re not in your right mind. Grillby? Grillby!”

The words seemed to slip in one ear and go out the other so to speak. The words did not sink in at all. Grillby was growling again, demandingly. He moved closer to Sans, trying to grab him too. At the same time he moved, Papyrus felt something brush against his pelvis. Grillby paused to moan and wrap his arms around Papyrus again. When the movement happened again, Papyrus’s face went from white to a striking orange.

“GRILLBY!” Papyrus screeched, wiggling one arm free long enough for him to slap Grillby. It stunned the flame monster. Papyrus managed to wiggle himself free and away from Grillby. By the time he regained his senses, Papyrus was already dragging Sans up out of the water. Grillby snarled and tried to snatch Sans away, but papyrus was quicker.

They stood away from the pools, watching Grillby growl and snarl for a while. For a moment he tried to push himself up out of the pools but was dragged back down into the water, likely by his own weight. Papyrus sat down with Sans while they waited for Grillby to calm down.

It was after about an hour that they gave up. Grillby wasn’t calming down at all. He was tiring, but he wasn’t stopping in his efforts to try and reach them. it hurt both the brothers to see him like this. It scared them. This wasn’t their Grillby.

“Come, brother. We can’t stay here,” Papyrus said softly. Sans nodded, knowing they needed to get to town before their heats really kicked in. It was likely safe to walk there at this time of day. No other monsters should be out and about to smell them.

They decided to leave some of their things where they were. Grillby had already knocked a few in the water in his attempts. They headed back, though, not without looked back at Grillby occasionally. The further they went, the calmer he seemed. He must have been affected by their heats. Once they got to the tree line, they saw Grillby dip back into the water. They waited for a few minutes in curiosity.

Grillby didn’t resurface.

Despondent, they headed back towards the town. They would be safer once they were in their homes. They came up to the checkpoint and was just passing through it when they were stopped. Apparently, this checkpoint had a nightshift. They were stopped.

“Halt,” the guard stated, her voice deep and commanding. Papyrus and Sans flinched and turned to her. The monster wore the royal guard armor and the Delta Rune. “State your names and purpose.”

“Papyrus and Sans Skeleton. We are trying to get back home,” Papyrus stated, letting his brother lean against him. “It’s very urgent.”

“Why are you two out so late? It seems pretty suspicious to be just getting back before dawn.”

“yeah. i’m sure something smells kinda fishy, huh…” Sans replied, then wincing as the heat started affecting him. It was a poor attempt to lighten the mood. It seemed to do the trick though.

The monster stared them up and down for a minute before she gave a bellowing laugh. She removed her helmet, showing off her big sharp teeth in a smile. Her scales were a beautiful cobalt blue with green here and there. Her hair was a deep scarlet. She was a fish monster.

“pfft. oh my gosh… i didn’t know,” Sans giggled.

“Sorry if my brother was a bit insensitive,” Papyrus said, though his teeth twitched upwards a little. It was quite funny now. “We were out chatting and swimming at the beach and lost track of time.” It wasn’t necessarily a lie, but it was close enough. She stared at him with a scrutinizing gaze, suspicious. Though, they were both dripping wet. There was no proof that they didn’t do what they said. That’s when she got a whiff of the air.

“Well, you two are pretty soaked to the bone. Probably in more ways than one,” she joked. Papyrus and Sans both blushed brightly. “I’ll send for Lady Toriel. She’ll escort you boys home. If she can’t, I will. It wouldn’t do for you two to get into trouble and wind up having to care for some baby monsters all by yourselves. Come on. Sit.”

The guard led them to a chest they could sit on. She retrieved a blanket out of it before she ushered them to sit. She wrapped it around them, noticing how close the two were.

“You never told us your name,” Papyrus pointed out.

“Eh. Not too important. But, if you really wanna know it’s-“

“Ariela?” came another soft voice. All three turned to the voice. They all brightened at the sight of Toriel. “My Lady, what on earth are you doing out so late? You saved me the trip of sending for you.”

“I… well… I was just out for a stroll. I thought it would be nice to get some fresh air. What is going on here?”

“Just a couple of bone heads out and about. Seems like their heats started and they were trying to get back to their house. Did you leave someone to watch over my little guppies?” Ariela informed.

“Oh, yes, I left Red Bird there.”

“How are they sleeping? I know the move was not easy on them.”

“They had some trouble. Tidal didn’t want to be alone, so I put Undyne in a crib next to him. They fell asleep not long after that.”

“That’s good,” she said thoughtfully. “Let’s hope they can adjust soon.”

“I understand. We’ll talk about this later. For now, I shall see to it that these two get home safely,” Toriel replied. “Sans, Papyrus.” She motioned for them to follow. With a couple of winces, the two stood up, wrapping the blanket around themselves. It helped to cover their heat scents. She gave Ariela a nod and turned to leave. She walked with the skeletons just in front of her.

The three walked in silence. The two skeletons were still trying to process everything that had happened with Grillby. It was so out of character for the sweet monster. Sans clung to Papyrus’s hip, not wanting to be apart from him. The heat was really affecting them both. Papyrus was trembling. It wouldn’t have been noticeable to Toriel, and it certainly wasn’t violent enough to rattle his bones. Only Sans could feel them. Sans was sweating from some of the pain. It felt like his non-existent insides were cramping. He needed warmth. Papyrus was a beacon of it.

“Sans, Papyrus?” Toriel asked. They both jolted in surprise. They were standing just outside their house now. She eyed them closely. “What were you boys doing out this late? And with your heats so close? You two weren’t-“

“no, no, no, Toriel,” Sans sputtered. “we were just stargazing and lost track of time. our heats weren’t due for another month or so.”

“Oh, really? Stargazing. Is that why you two are soaking wet?”

“We went swimming,” Papyrus informed. “Our heats are very early, there was no way we could have known it would start tonight.”

Toriel still looked skeptical of them. Being the kind-hearted monster she was, she seemed to let it go.

“Well, at least nothing bad happened. You two get inside. I will come tomorrow to check in on you two. If you need anything, leave a list by the door, under the mat. We don’t need the whole town knowing you two are in heat,” Toriel stated, gently pushing them in the door. “I will knock only a couple of times. If you can, answer it. If not, I will set some supplies just inside the door.”

“Thank you, Lady Toriel.”

“thank you, Toriel. we really appreciate the help,” Sans said over his shoulder.

“It is no problem at all. You know I will help you two anytime,” she replied. “Now, shoo. Go get some rest.” She attempted to shut the door, but Sans put his foot in the way.

“wait…”

Toriel looked hesitant to stay. Her eyes darted back to the path and then to Sans. “Yes, Sans?”

“what were you really doing out so late?” he asked.

Toriel blushed and sputtered, “I just wanted to take a stroll! That’s all! Goodnight boys, I willseeyoutomorrow!”

With that, she fled down the street back towards the checkpoint. Sans eyes her with his own suspicion. It was similar to how Papyrus and Sans both left to go see Grillby. It wasn’t his business. He had better things to worry about, such as the warmth he was currently snuggling into. Papyrus was so warm. He didn’t want to leave his side.

“Brother, we need to go make the bed,” Papyrus stated softly. He gently pushed back against Sans. “We can’t stay by the door.” Sans clung to him tighter. He didn’t want to let go! That was the opposite of what he wanted. If he let go, the cramps would be so much worse. His magic was screaming at him. In a singular moment of clarity, he realized he was pretty far gone.

He heard Papyrus sigh loudly. He pushed Sans away long enough for him to be able to pick Sans up and carry him to their bed. Sans wasn’t letting go of him anytime soon. He may as well cuddle him through his heat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! There is still more to come. This is probably the one story I am very passionate about. To see that it has gotten as much love as it has makes me happy.
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment, if you would like. I thrive off every little compliment I get on this story.


End file.
